“The canals” as the area is referred to by locals is a lovely little theme park of a neighborhood built around the only canals still remaining in Venice. Though quaint, these are not the broader canals of yore.

The humble beach bungalows that once dominated the canals are rapidly giving way to battleship-style McMansions, few of which are architecturally pleasing. Still, the canals make for a lovely stroll. Watch out for duck poopk, Snowy Egrets, old hippies and publicity-shy Hollywood types.

When most people think of Venice, nowadays, it’s Ocean Front Walk — the boardwalk — they picture. A couple of miles of insanity, vanity and humanity with souvenir shops and tattoo parlors galore, street vendors and palm readers, more crazies than can shake sticks at you, sleaze, ocean breeze, street performers, nut jobs, tourists, posers…it’s all here, particularly on beautiful weekend days. Come prepared for a full immersion in life’s rich pageant. If you’re bringing a pygmy anaconda, please bring its sunblock. Actually, best to leave the pets at home unless you want to traumatize them for life.

Less drum “circle” than inspired cluster-f#%!, this popular, long-running, public Venice happening usually gets its groove on by late afternoon Saturdays, coalescing on the beach at about Brooks Ave. Come, drum, dance, spin, flail, inhale the exotic bouquet.

In the hours leading up to a full-fledged drum circle there’s often a warm up—a drum circle on-deck-circle—taking place on a beach-side grassy knoll near Ocean Front Walk and Breeze Ave. There you’ll find an assortment of rhythm-crazy revelers, conga players and bongo beaters. Lots of folks who march to the beat of a different drum as you’d expect at a Venice Beach drum come together.

Not the scene these days that Central Park’s roller disco spot is, the skate dance area at Venice Beach (near the Public Art Walls) hosts plenty of dedicated roller boogie-oogiers, particularly on weekends. Some dance on blades, some on old school four-on-the-floor skates. Are you phreak enough to disappear down this hip-hop roller-disco rabbit hole? Un-huh, un-huh…

A “replica” of the historic Venice trestle sign hangs over Windward Avenue just west of Pacific. Welcomed back in 2007 to the spot where the original hung almost a century ago, the boxy letters V-E-N-I-C-E again light up the “downtown” Venice night in welcome.